Don’t-Miss Events

BARRETT-JACKSON AUTO AUCTION

April 13-15, Expo Center, South Florida Fairgrounds, 9067 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach

This is like an annual convention for gearheads, offering multiple auctions, educational symposiums, acres of vintage cars, and the popular Barrett-Jackson Automobilia Auction (described as a“colorful array of fine, rare and one-of-a-kind hood mascots, vintage gas pumps, dealership signs, racing posters and more”), happening daily throughout the long weekend. Ticket prices vary; visit barrett-jackson.com.

DELRAY AFFAIR

April 14-16, Downtown Delray Beach, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

This longtime arts and crafts festival has been a spring ritual in Delray for more than 60 years. It features more than 400 artists and rambles down 12 city blocks. In addition to the vendors, there will be live music at the Old School Square Beer Garden, a wide selection of great food (don’t miss the conch fritter ladies!) and more. Visit delrayaffair.com.

Locals sound off on issues affecting our community.

BOCA BACCHANAL

April 29-30, various locations and The Addison

The Boca Bacchanal, Boca’s annual celebration of food and wine, benefits the Boca Raton Historical Society and takes place over two evenings. The first is dedicated to the sumptuous multicourse vintner dinners, hosted locally at private estates or historical locations and featuring acclaimed chefs and vintners. (Ticket: $350.)

The Grand Tasting at The Addison offers tastings from Silver Oak & Twomey Cellars, ZD Winery, Domaine Carneros, Taittinger and The Macallan Scotch, among others, and generous samplings of signature dishes by celebrated local chefs. There will also be a silent auction of wine, dining, travel and lifestyle packages. (Grand Tasting Ticket: $125; Grand Tasting plus a Seminar Ticket: $150.) Visit bocabacchanal.com.

April is a month for new beginnings. You can replace one thing in your house at no charge. What is it?

“[I’d swap out my range for] the Blue Star (from Pennsylvania) 60” dual fuel, double-oven (with steam, for bread-baking). It has eight burners and a char-broiler.”

—Michael Martin, Co-owner, Georgia Career Institute

“Spring cleaning is a great time to bring in a new rug, as it shifts the entire look of your room and home.”

—Linda Gunn-Paton, Director of Sales and Marketing, Sklar Furnishings

“Five years ago I completely renovated my home— going from heavy, gold, Ritz-Carlton style to [a more contemporary look] … I am thrilled with my “sanctuary,” and there is not one thing that I would change! But if I could turn in my 2007 Mercedes—for a “free” EV Mercedes—I would do it in a heartbeat!

—Linda Petrakis, Realtor, Coldwell Banker Realty

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO

We are all globe-trotting again, and no one is holding back. But it also can get crowded in all those usual spots during summer vacation. So consumer travel advocate Christopher Eliot, in conjunction with travel company OvationNetwork and Forbes, listed a few alternatives to more traveled destinations for a summer vacay. So on your mark, get set, GO!

Queenstown, New Zealand

Marrakesh, Morocco

Big Sky, Montana

Alentejo, Portugal

Svalbard, Norway

Naoshima, Japan

Paros, Greece

Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

Perth, Western Australia

Provence, France

Antalya, Türkiye

Lecce, Italy

Menorca, Spain

Lausanne, Switzerland

Megève, France

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Valletta, Malta

Shimla, India

Lake Louise, Canada

Colca Canyon, Peru

Pereira, Colombia

Doha, Qatar

Paso Robles, California

Where Did the Easter Bunny Come From?

Turns out bunnies have always been special. As far back as the Neolithic age (the days of Stonehenge), rabbits were often buried alongside humans and represented rebirth, and even 1,000 years later they were regarded with reverence. But our modern Easter bunny seems to be more directly linked to Germany and England. In Germany in the 1600s, there are accounts of children hunting for Easter eggs hidden by the “Easter hare,” and about the same time in England, there were hare hunts and a tradition of eating hare at Easter (so much for reverence).

Your Monthly Dates To Remember

April 1 is All Fools’ Day— otherwise known as April Fools’ Day

April 2 is Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter and the last Sunday of Lent

April 5 at sundown is the start of Passover

April 7 is Good Friday

April 9 is Easter Sunday (April 16 is Orthodox Easter)

April 21 is Eid al-Fitr, commemorating the end of the fasting month of Ramadan

April 22 is Earth Day!

As for our Easter bunny, history.com reports that it was first introduced in Pennsylvania by German immigrants as an egg-laying rabbit named “Osterhase.” Legend has it the rabbit would lay colorful eggs as gifts to children who were good,“so kids would make nests in which the bunny could leave his eggs and even sometimes set out carrots in case the hare got hungry.” Over time, the bunny’s repertoire expanded from eggs to chocolate presented in colorful baskets. And there you have it. goodhousekeeping.com, smithsonianmag.com

$49 thousand Price of world’s most expensive chocolate Easter bunny

$170 Average amount a person spends on Easter

$3 billion

How much was spent on Easter candy in 2022

“REFUGE”

WHERE: Theatre Lab at FAU, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton

WHEN: April 8-23

COST: $35-$45

CONTACT:

561/297-6124, fauevents.com

Though it’s celebrating its world premiere as a full production, this unique theatrical experience is already riding coattails of anticipation. Even when presented as a play reading, in 2019, Satya Jnani Chávez and Andrew Rosendorf’s “Refuge” was heralded as a transcendent play for our times. It’s set on the southern Texas border, where the lives of an American rancher, a desperate Honduran teenager seeking a better life, and a Latina border patrol agent on the job all converge alongside the animals of the vast desert, presented in the form of puppets. This bilingual show, which includes original music, captures the nuances of the border crisis with empathy, compassion and a bit of magical realism.

FLORIDA GRAND OPERA’S “TOSCA”

WHERE: Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 S.W. Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale

WHEN: April 13 and 15, 7:30 p.m.

COST: $23.94-$228

CONTACT: 954/462-0222, browardcenter.org

Remarkably, when Giacomo Puccini’s “Tosca” premiered in 1900, critics were less than enthused. One musicologist called it a “shabby little shocker;” another called it “three hours of noise.”These days, with “Tosca” having earned its stature as one of the most-performed operas in the world, it’s fair to say the consensus eventually found its way to the correct response. Which isn’t to say it’s a passive few hours at the theater: Set during Napoleon’s invasion of Italy,“Tosca” contains torture, murder and suicide—all before the final act even begins. Another day at the operatic office, you might say, but this is an especially intense romantic drama, which Florida Grand Opera will pres ent for the first time in nine years. Lead performer Toni Marie Palmertree makes her FGO debut as Floria Tosca.

“THE SYMPHONIA: WATER”

WHERE: Roberts Theater at Saint Andrew’s School, 3900 Jog Road, Boca Raton

WHEN: April 30, 3 p.m.

COST: $55-$90

CONTACT: 561/376-3848, thesymphonia.org

“Inspired Naturally,” the theme of this season’s Symphonia Connoisseur Series, has drawn from the elements whipping and churning and spinning around us. So far, the Symphonia has performed works evoking “Fire,”“Earth” and “Wind” (sounds like there’s a funk band in there somewhere), and the season closes with our most life-sustaining compound,“Water.” Principal Conductor Alastair Willis will lead the orchestra through three uncommonly performed pieces with an aquatic feel: The overture from Ethel Smyth’s 1906 opera “The Wreckers,” a tribute to shipwrecks and piracy on the roiling seas; contemporary composer Anthony DiLorenzo’s “Jabberwocky,” a tingly and whimsical retelling of Alice’s journey through the looking glass back to Wonderland; and Beethoven’s beautifully transportive “Pastoral Symphony,” with its musical suggestions of a thunderstorm and flowing streams.

Natalie Merchant With The South Florida Symphony Orchestra

WHERE: Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 S.W. Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale

WHEN: April 27, 8 p.m.

COST: $45-$65

CONTACT: 954/462-0222, browardcenter.org

Natalie Merchant has been making alternative rock for grown-ups since the inception of her career, when she joined the band that would become 10,000 Maniacs in 1981. Her immediately recognizable contralto helped the group chart infectious singles like “What’s the Matter Here?” and “Like the Weather,” and her success only continued after she went solo in 1993. Her lyrical sensibility has long been literary and worldly, from basing her second album Ophelia on the “Hamlet” character, to putting Shakespeare’s sonnets to music nine years later. Her 2023 release Keep Your Courage is no exception: Collaborations with jazz, classical and Celtic musicians enliven an album whose songs reach for mythic grandeur (“Narcissus,”“Come On, Aphrodite,”“The Feast of Saint Valentine”). It’s material ideally suited for a symphonic soundtrack, which the South Florida Symphony Orchestra will be honored to provide.

, PRINCIPAL AND CEO

“Women need to be involved in their financial plans and have an understanding of where all of their assets are, and what they are used for,” says Certified Financial Planner™ Elizabeth Bennett.

As a woman who has reared a child, been through a divorce and is working toward her own financial future, she forges a relationship with her clients from her own personal experiences.

“You need be in control of your finances and not leave that responsibility to someone else,” she cautions. “Knowing the types of investments that you have, the log-ins for your accounts, and sharing that information with your spouse is very important. Being involved in reviews with your financial advisor and understanding how to access those assets is imperative,” Bennett says.

“Taking responsibility for your financial wellbeing, starting at a young age, is probably one of the best things you can do for yourself. You should take advantage of your employer’s retirement plan, understand what your short-term savings need to look like and what your assets’ tax implications are. Be aware of your spending habits and where all of your money is going, whether you are single or married. As women, we know the value of delegating. My advice is to take one thing off of your plate and reach out to an advisor to get your financial house in order with someone you can trust. I am here for you,” she says.